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Narrows council hears Optimum representative, defers franchise renewal to December
Summary
At a Nov. 12 public hearing, an Optimum government-affairs manager answered resident complaints about slow repairs, outdated equipment and call-center service; the council voted to defer action on the franchise until its December meeting to allow legal and staff review.
At its Nov. 12 meeting the Narrows Town Council opened a public hearing on renewal of Optimum’s cable and internet franchise and heard about persistent customer-service problems before voting to defer action until December.
Bradley, identified in the hearing as Optimum’s manager of government affairs, described the franchise as nonexclusive and said the company has been working to bring some customer-service functions onshore and to escalate repeat problems to specialized teams. “I’ll leave you all with my personal cell phone number,” Bradley said, offering a local contact for residents.
Several residents told the council they face long repair waits and aging equipment. One resident said, “The box I have in my house is over 20 years old,” and complained about lengthy hold times and off‑shore call centers. Bradley said the company has moved some call-center work onshore in recent years and promised to provide more localized escalation and outage data.
Town attorney Mike Betts told the council that legal review of settlement changes and franchise language is ongoing. Council members asked for independent data and for examples showing where company interventions produced measurable improvements. Bradley offered to return in about six months with more specific node-health information and to leave contact cards at town hall.
After discussion, a motion to defer formal approval of the franchise renewal was made and carried; council members recorded affirmative votes and set the matter for the December meeting so staff and counsel can return with recommended contract language and additional information.
The public hearing record also included clarifying points from company staff about corporate structure. Bradley described Optimum as a brand and Altice as the parent; he said Seabridge Connections operates under that umbrella and that local field teams and construction managers receive escalated complaints for on‑the‑ground response.
The council took no final action on the franchise at the Nov. 12 meeting and instructed staff to continue legal review and to provide independent or third‑party data if available. The franchise renewal will be discussed again at the December council meeting.
